“For a long time, many people had been miseducated about who my father was, and I think it may have been intentional.” – Ilyasah Shabazz
Ilyasah Shabazz is determined to tell authentic and intentional stories about her parents and civil rights icons, Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz. Her entrance into children’s literature was a picture book biography about her father, Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X (Atheneum, 2014), illustrated by A. G. Ford. Since then, she has collaborated with award-winning authors Renee Watson, Tiffany D. Jackson, and Kekla Magoon on middle-grade and YA titles. In observance of Malcolm X’s birthday on May 19th and Betty Shabazz’s on the 28th, explore the six books listed—four by Ilyasah Shabazz—to learn more about the life, legacy, and love of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz.
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1. Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X
Ilyasah Shabazz | AG Ford | Atheneum BYR | January 7, 2014 | PB
2. Malcolm X: A Fire Burning Brightly
Walter Dean Myers | Leonard Jenkins | Amistad BYR | December 23, 2003 | PB
3. Malcolm Lives!: The Official Biography of Malcolm X for Young Readers
Ibram X. Kendi | Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) | May 13, 2025 | YA
4. The Awakening of Malcolm X: A Novel
Ilyasah Shabazz | Tiffany D. Jackson | Square Fish | January 3, 2023 | YA
Ilyasah Shabazz | Renée Watson | Square Fish | December 31, 2018 | MG
6. X: A Novel
Ilyasah Shabazz | Kekla Magoon | Candlewick | August 2, 2016 | YA
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